FAYETTEVILLE — Knile Davis has wondered if Bobby Petrino’s firing as Arkansas’ head football coach was a nightmare.
“Some days I wake up and I’m like, ‘Is this really happening?’ ” Davis said. “Sometimes it’s just mind-boggling.
“Just got to keep going.”
Davis, an All-SEC tailback and team captain, was among the Razorbacks who spoke after Friday’s practice, the first time the players were made available for interviews since Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long fired Petrino on Tuesday night because of an inappropriate relationship Petrino had with a female employee on his staff and lying about it to Long and others.
“I think anybody would say at times you’re confused, frustrated, all those emotions go through you, no question,” said Tyler Wilson, the Razorbacks’ All-SEC quarterback. “But you’ve got to move on.
“That’s what I’ve already told everybody. It’s already happened. ... It’s how you deal with it in life. Use it as an opportunity rather than an excuse.”
The players interviewed Friday — Davis, Wilson, linebacker Tenarius Wright and defensive tackle Alfred Davis — all said they didn’t know Petrino was having an inappropriate relationship with Dorrell.
“I don’t think any of us had an idea,” Wilson said. “He was such a great football coach, and everything here at the stadium was based around that. He kept everything off the field, off the field. i couldn’t say any of us knew about it.”
Knile Davis said he hasn’t talked with Petrino since his firing, but that he did exchange some text messages after Petrino was placed on administrative leave by Long last week.
“I was like, ‘Coach I’m praying for you. I’m taking care of the team. You don’t have to worry about anything,’ before the decision was made,” Davis said. “He was like, ‘I appreciate it Knile, you’re the best.’ ... Then they made the decision. I haven’t talked to him since they made the decision.”
Wilson said he hasn’t talked to Petrino, either.
“I’m not sure what I’d have to say,” Wilson said. “That was a personal issue. My relationship with him was 100 percent on the field. That’s all I knew.”
Wilson and Wright addressed teammates Tuesday after Long met with the Razorbacks to inform them Petrino had been fired.
“We talked and let each other know our mission still hasn’t changed,” Wright said. “We still want to accomplish our goals of winning the SEC and national championships, and it’s up to us to be all in.
“Just because Coach Petrino is not here ... everything that he’s taught us about the game has to stick with us to make it through the SEC.”
Wilson said he and Wright wanted to calm down their teammates and reassure them things would be fine.
“I think a lot of guys were concerned, frustrated and just not sure where we were going,” Wilson said. “We’ve got great leadership on this team. It’s a mature football team. With that, we’ll move forward with success.”
Each of the players interviewed said they hope Long will keep the coaching staff intact and appoint one of the assistants to be interim head coach for the 2012 season.
Long said Taver Johnson, the team’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach who he appointed as interim coach last week, will continue in that role at least through the end of spring practice April 21.
“I’m going to respect the administration’s decision, but I’m not going to lie, it would be tough to bring a new coach in,” Wilson said, “just because it’s new on everybody. It’s a quick turnaround learning the system and all that.”
Wilson said he’s not going to publicly endorse a particular assistant to be the interim head coach.
“But I think any one of the guys ... they’re going to do their homework and they’re going to do a good job of selecting the guy,” Wilson said. “Hopefully, I can keep my guys intact here staff-wise and continue to progress as a quarterback and excel.”
Knile Davis said he’d like to see Tim Horton, Arkansas’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator, be interim head coach. He’s the only member of the staff who played for the Razorbacks and is an Arkansas native.
“Whichever one they promote, that’s fine,” Davis said. “But I’d like Coach Horton, my running back coach. He knows Arkansas. He’s a great coach. He knows the team. I just feel like he could get the job done.”
Davis and Wilson said they’ve both expressed to Long that the players want to move forward with the same coaching staff. Wilson said Long has been “absolutely” receptive in their talks.
Davis, however, said the meeting with Long about Petrino’s firing wasn’t a shock.
“He came in, he told the guys the decision he had made, and really and truly we don’t have any choice but to just deal with it,” Davis said. “I mean, it is what it is.
“We have to go along with Jeff Long. It was his decision to make, he made it, we have to accept it and get back to playing ball.”
Sports, Pages 22 on 04/14/2012